A Thomas Tuchel-less Chelsea took on League One side Plymouth Argyle in the fourth round of this season’s FA Cup on Saturday. The Blues were looking to book their place in the next round of the competition before flying off to Abu Dhabi to participate in the Club World Cup. Coming up against a resolute Plymouth, the home side—who was hardly at its best—had to dig in deep to finally come out victorious after 120 minutes of football.
Here are the player ratings from the Blues’ nervous win against the Pilgrims:
Kepa Arrizabalaga (Goalkeeper): 8/10
While there was nothing Kepa Arrizabalaga could have done to stop Plymouth’s first goal, the Spaniard was undoubtedly key to Chelsea getting away with a narrow victory against the Pilgrims. Apart from the crucial penalty save in the 118′ of the game, Arrizabalaga was able to, on multiple occasions, alleviate the pressure on his defence by claiming or punching away various crosses from Plymouth’s players. Easily the Man of the Match on the day.
Cesar Azpilicueta (Right back): 7/10
As has been widely reported, Cesar Azpilicueta is in the final year of his current contract and questions have been raised as to his continued value to the team, especially at 32 years of age. Against Saturday’s opponents, however, Chelsea’s “Mr. Reliable” once again served up a timely reminder of just how important he can be to his side whenever he is called upon. Scorer of the vital equaliser with a Gianfranco Zola-esque flick at the near post, the Spaniard was also at his defensive best on the day, working hard to lock down the left side of Plymouth’s attack. It is clear that Chelsea’s captain still has gas left in his tank, and is up to the board and the player himself to decide as a collective what is the best option moving forward.
Antonio Rudiger (Centreback): 7/10
The constant presence at the heart of any defence that Tuchel puts out, Saturday’s outing was Rudiger’s 32nd start of the season already. Solid at the back once again, it is hard to believe that someone as crucial as the German could end up as a free agent in less than four months’ time. If Tuchel sees a reason to start Rudiger even in the fourth round of the FA Cup, perhaps it is best if an agreement between player and club can be reached as soon as possible.
Andreas Christensen (Centreback): 5/10
Subbed off at halftime to accommodate for the introduction of a specialist left back in light of Malang Sarr’s poor first half showing, Andreas Christensen has reason to feel a little hard done by. He was strong in the air when called upon, and was his usual, reliable self when distributing the ball from the back. His limited time on the pitch warrants him a rating of no higher than a five though.
Malang Sarr (Left back): 5/10
Sarr did not have a good opening half deployed in the left back position and his performance serves as a timely reminder that the Frenchman is not a natural left back by any stretch of the imagination. While Sarr’s performance did improve after he was shifted back into a more central role, the 23-year-old most certainly did not cover himself in glory when he clumsily conceded a 118′ penalty to Plymouth. It was a below-par performance from Sarr and he will undoubtedly be counting his lucky stars that the penalty killer, Arrizabalaga, was there to save him from further embarrassment.
Jorginho (Defensive midfielder): 6/10
Jorginho was very much the focal point of Chelsea’s attempts to progress the ball out from the back from his position sitting just in front of the back four in Tuchel’s new 4-1-4-1. The Brazilian-born Italian international was his usual, orchestrating self in the middle of the pitch again on Saturday afternoon. Much like Mateo Kovacic slightly higher up the pitch, Jorginho came close to scoring on two occasions and put in an energetic performance that naturally came with a yellow card to cap off his exertions in midfield.
Mateo Kovacic (Central midfielder): 6/10
Guilty of perhaps being a little too comfortable when on the ball at times, Kovacic was uncharacteristically sloppy at times throughout the game and was responsible for several needless turnovers in possession. Nevertheless, the Croat did put in a decent shift in the centre of the park and came close to scoring on two separate occasions. Something must be in his water as he’s become quite the goalscorer since putting on the No. 8 shirt, eh?
Mason Mount (Central midfielder): 7/10
Mason Mount was his usual, energetic self, linking up really well with the likes of Romelu Lukaku and Hakim Ziyech to carve out some of Chelsea’s better chances in the game. The Englishman’s uncanny ability to receive the ball on the half-turn—even when under pressure—was once again on show. His cross to find Azpilicueta for Chelsea’s opener was nothing short of sublime, but something we’ve come to expect from the Englishman during the last few seasons. It was a shame to see Mount come off due to injury before the game’s conclusion, and fingers are crossed that no serious damage has been done.
Hakim Ziyech (Right winger): 7/10
The most promising of Chelsea’s forwards on the day. Hakim Ziyech was, many a time, the Blues’ go-to man as Plymouth sought to defend deep and with numbers. In light of the disparaging remarks about his conduct made by his national team coach, the Moroccan was clearly fired up and it showed. Aggressive in his pressing and diligent in performing his defensive duties, Ziyech’s crossing was also one of Chelsea’s few constants going forward. A respectable rating of seven out of 10 for the 28-year-old after he turned up once again in the 4-1-4-1 on the right side.
Romelu Lukaku (Striker): 5/10
With all due respect to Plymouth Argyle and despite what Tuchel himself might otherwise suggest, Saturday’s game against the 7th-placed team in League One was always going to be seen as a great opportunity for Chelsea’s out-of-form forwards to score some goals. It was also a chance for them to potentially regain some confidence. Hence, to see Romelu Lukaku struggle the way he did against Saturday’s opposition was disappointing, to say the least. Moreover, the seeming lack of effort to press and apply pressure on the opposition whenever he was off the ball further counted against the Belgian’s overall contribution to his team. A low five out of 10 for Lukaku, who simply has to do so much more considering the price tag he was brought in for.
Callum Hudson-Odoi (Left winger): 5/10
Callum Hudson-Odoi was simply not good enough against Plymouth. The Englishman laboured throughout his time on the pitch but genuinely struggled to produce anything of note offensively. Perhaps taking a one-and-a-half-week break has resulted in some degree of match fitness being lost. Nonetheless, with Tuchel now having an almost fully fit squad to choose from, Hudson-Odoi has to do so much better to keep his spot in the side.
Marcos Alonso (Left back): 6/10
The match-winner on the day, Marcos Alonso’s performance was one that was very typical of the Spaniard throughout his time in SW6. He showed fantastic goal-scoring instinct to tuck home Kai Havertz’s low cross in the 106′ of the match. However, Alonso once again struggled badly when placed on the back foot. Defensively suspect, but brilliant going forward, Alonso remains an enigma whose in-game performances frequently swing from one extreme to the other. It remains to be seen if Chelsea’s failure to find an adequate, short-term replacement for Ben Chilwell during the January transfer window will prove costly.
Kai Havertz (Left winger): 6/10
While Havertz did provide the crucial cross from which Alonso scored to gift Chelsea the lead, the German was clearly a little rusty after an extended period without competitive football. Guilty of ceding the ball too easily at times and missing several good scoring opportunities, Havertz, much like his fellow forwards on the day, largely struggled to impose himself offensively.
Timo Werner (Centre forward): 5/10
Involved in the build-up to Chelsea’s second goal of the game, Timo Werner was otherwise rather ineffective in Plymouth’s final third. Much like Havertz, Werner likewise failed to take advantage of multiple promising attacking scenarios, most notably when he failed to even get on the end of Lukaku’s through ball in the first half of added time. The German remains a frustrating player to watch and unless he is able to somehow rediscover his goalscoring touch, time appears to be running out for Werner in SW6.
Saul (Central midfielder): 6/10
Coming on as a 97′ substitute in place of the injured Mount, Saul was solid, if unspectacular. Responsible for keeping things ticking over in midfield as Chelsea surged forward in search of a winner, Saul played his part and the Blues ultimately came out narrow 2-1 victors.
What rating would you give to each of the players? Let us know in the comments or on Twitter!